The government plans to foster North Jeolla as a base for youth-attracting industrial complexes and a renewable energy hub. The Industry Ministry said Minister Kim Jeong-gwan (김정관) visited the province on Wednesday and held a series of meetings with local companies, young workers and innovation bodies. The visit, the first field move under the 5-pole, 3-special policy, focused on industrial park innovation to spur youth inflows and plans to build a renewable energy hub in North Jeolla.

At a meeting with tenant companies in the Wanju Cultural Industry Complex, Kim listened to what led companies to decide on local investment and the difficulties they faced during the investment process. Participants also explored ways to improve work, living and cultural conditions to help young people move into and settle in local industrial parks. Kim said, "We will continue to support industrial parks so they can shift from simple production spaces to places where people gather and stay."

Kim later held a lunch meeting with young workers employed at industrial parks in North Jeolla. He heard views on working conditions and on housing, transport and cultural amenities that young people experience. They discussed practical constraints that hinder youth inflows and growth, as well as ideas for improvement. The ministry plans to work with related ministries based on feedback from the field to flesh out plans to build youth-friendly industrial parks.

In a meeting with North Jeolla Governor Kim Kwan-young (김관영), Kim shared the status of efforts to select growth engines under the 5-pole, 3-special initiative. The two agreed it is important for the central and local governments to divide roles and link policies closely to foster strategic industries that reflect North Jeolla's industrial base and potential.

Kim visited "Refactory Gunsan" in the Gunsan National Industrial Complex and looked at a site where an aging industrial complex was reborn as an innovation space centered on young small firms and entrepreneurs. Kim stressed that regenerating aging industrial complexes should go beyond simple environmental improvements and serve as an opportunity to change the fundamentals of local industry. The Refactory project supports location space for small and start-up companies by remodeling idle and closed factories through an industrial complex environment improvement project.

At a meeting with renewable energy parts, materials and equipment companies in North Jeolla, Kim listened to the sector's growth potential and to companies' difficulties related to institutions, regulation and markets. Kim said, "North Jeolla has the potential to leap into a core hub in the West Coast region centered on the renewable energy industry," and assessed that it has the best conditions to pursue both demonstration and expansion of the renewable energy parts, materials and equipment industry.

At a dinner meeting with heads of innovation institutions and economic groups in North Jeolla, Kim exchanged views on revitalising the local economy and the province's strengths, limitations and growth potential. Participants also explored ways to enable regional innovation institutions to serve as practical focal points for corporate support and industrial advancement. Kim said, "The ministry will actively support regional innovation institutions so they do not remain in a simple support role but can function as key partners leading the growth of local companies and industrial advancement."